


the stories that pass through (but despite them all, my favorite is you)

by riceballs



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Autumn, Convenience Store AU, Friends to Lovers, Gas Station AU, Gen, Implied abuse, Implied drug usage, Implied homophobia, all implications are minor and up to interpretation, implied alcohol content, lol a lot of implications, some implied aged up/aged down characters (but no age gap relationships)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26329675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riceballs/pseuds/riceballs
Summary: In the middle of nowhere, awkwardly placed between two opposing lanes on the interstate, lies a small gas station. Located between a small beach town and a large city, it's an awkward place between nature and urbanity, but in the autumn when there aren’t exoduses of people looking for scenic summer spots or bustling metropolis life, business slows down as the traffic rush trickles from thousands to barely a hundred daily, what with the majority of travelers returning to a more structured routine then the spontaneity that summer usually brings.This is the story of that place, the two part-timers who work there four days a week for six hours each day, the people that visit during those idle autumn nights, and the stories that they all bring.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han & Kim Seungmin, Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Minor or Background Relationship(s), there's also a hint of chanlix but not major enough to warrant it's own tag
Comments: 13
Kudos: 54





	the stories that pass through (but despite them all, my favorite is you)

**Author's Note:**

> For skz ship bingo, fulfilling the ‘autumn’ and ‘friends to lover’ spots. 
> 
> Warning for allusions to abuse, alcohol content and drug usage. It’s very little and only implied in the slightest, but still there in any part that features Changbin and Hyunjin. i'll put a brief summary in the end notes if you'd prefer to skip those parts.

In the middle of nowhere between the two sides of a highway, lies a small establishment tucked in a small grove of trees. It’s too big to call just a gas station, and yet smaller than a regular service area, making it more of a small pit stop for the weary travelers on the road. Half an hour north leads to a small beach town famous for its idyllic lifestyle and picturesque camping spots, and an hour and fifteen minutes (on a good traffic day) south leads to a large city with dazzling lights and the fast paced nature of modernity. 

During the summer, when Jisung works full shifts at all times during the day, there’s a constant stream of people stopping by, new faces either headed for the resorts and summer houses that litter the coast, or residents of the coast escaping the dull and quiet beach town life. It’s an awkward place between nature and urbanity, but in the autumn when there isn’t exoduses of people looking for scenic summer spots or bustling metropolis life, business slows down as the traffic rush trickles from thousands to barely a hundred daily, what with the majority of travelers returning to a more structured routine then the spontaneity that summer usually brings. 

It’s rare to get regulars, considering their location is in the midst of a highway, but it’s also during this autumn season where he and Seungmin (his coworker four days a week, six hours each day) come across more familiar faces consistently, as the decline of their usual summer rush along with the leisureness of mid autumn nights means the two have more leeway to recognize faces and learn names.

Take Minho for instance. Minho Lee (at least, according to his credit card he hands over to pay for the water bottle and tuna sandwich he gets every single time he shows up), is always dressed to the nines with a mysterious smirk on his face, and usually stops by between 9 to 11pm every couple of days. According to Jisung’s logic, that’s why Minho is a serial killer. 

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “He is not a serial killer.” he hisses, eyes darting in Minho’s direction to see if he heard. 

“I mean, you don’t know that for  _ sure… _ ” Jisung whispers in response, watching as Minho turns over the two sandwiches in his hand, peering down at what Jisung figures was the expiration date. “Like, what guy who dresses that fancy and drives that big of a car is heading  _ towards _ our shitty town this late at night? He obviously is doing something sketchy. I bet we’d find someone tied up in the back trunk if we took a look, and the tuna sandwich is like their last meal and-”

Seungmin elbows Jisung hard just as Minho walks up to the counter. They both grin nervously at him as Seungmin takes his items to ring. 

The door chimes again, and the three of them look up to see Chan walking through, the friendly grin that seems permanently etched onto his face shining at them. Unlike Minho who still remained shrouded in mystery to the two, Chan is a completely (and slightly alarming) open book to them. In the time that Chan had been a regular to their store, Jisung had learned that Chan works in social services with a good friend of his, his area of specialty being music therapy. He learns that Chan also volunteers every other morning at an animal shelter, walking their dogs and donating both time and money for their efforts, and that on weekends, he’s often at the local youth center tutoring math or holding free music classes.

Jisung knows that Chan always heads out towards the coast at least twice a week to visit his grandmother who lives alone, that he always makes sure to bring care packages to the other elderly living around the area, and sometimes spends time with each and every one of them in some way, which is why he usually never is heading back home to the city until late at night. He also knows that Chan doesn’t drink coffee, which leads him to wonder how exactly Chan can function at all with all he does. 

Minho finishes his purchase just as Chan walks up to the counter. “Hey Chan.” Seungmin greets him as he waves goodbye to a still annoyingly smirking Minho, who leaves the store to his (still suspiciously large) car. “How’s your grandma?” 

“She’s doing good!” Chan responds as he puts his pack of hot Cheetos on the counter (Jisung still doesn’t understand why Seungmin is so obsessed with the snack, or how he got Chan into them as well). He brightens up a moment, suddenly fumbling with his bag and pulling a small bag. “Lately she’s been super into making cookies, so I brought some for the two of you guys to try!”

Jisung sometimes wonders why Chan is so open with two practically strangers he meets at a small and slightly sketchy gas station convenience store in the middle of the interstate, but maybe it was simple the atmosphere their location had, how the juxtaposition of the fast paced highway to their sides yet the lethargic feeling inside the store just created a more comfortable space. 

Sometimes the isolation of the gas station made it feel as if what happens there remains a secret within their walls, allowing them all to be more free in what they say and do, because there was an unspoken guarantee that it never passes the walls. As opposed to the sticky summer days and the hoards of rushed drivers headed in both directions to either the beach or the city, their autumn customers were never in such a hurry, allowing them a bit more freedom to loiter around and converse with two bored high school students who spend their nights stuck in an interstate rest stop. 

And maybe it was both the relaxed ambience with the quiet remoteness of the gas station that allowed not only Chan to be so overly friendly with two random part time workers, but also gave Jisung and Seungmin the trust to take the box of cookies from someone that was essentially still a complete stranger to them. 

(And well, he supposes the fact that Chan did boxing in his “free time” - yet another random piece of trivia Jisung found out about him - probably meant Chan was confident enough to face off two scrawny kids like he and Seungmin were in the case that it was the two of them that were serial killers instead.)

  
  


🍂🍂🍂

  
  


The transient nature of interstate rest stops meant no one would hardly stay longer than needed. After filling up on gas and perhaps picking up a small meal or other amenities, most travelers wouldn’t linger for more than fifteen minutes at max before heading for their final destination.

Changbin and Hyunjin were unlike most travelers. 

Calling the two “travelers” was not entirely accurate. Jisung and Seungmin know Hyunjin from school - of course, when Hyunjin decides to attend. Whenever he did, it was hard not to notice the bruises forming on his face and littering his arms, and the blank and despondent face Hyunjin always seemed to sport. In a town as small as theirs, gossip travels around fast, and Jisung has heard every variation from fighting with other neighborhood kids to joining another township’s gang. 

Changbin had only been living in their town for about a year and a half, but the rumor mill was far worse when it came to him, ranging from being kicked out of his previous school for drug charges, to dropping out himself after setting a bathroom on fire. He worked at a local electronics shop - and the only interactions Jisung had with him was seeing his sharp gaze and permanent frown whenever Jisung stopped by the store for a CD or new earbuds. 

Everyone says Hyunjin and Changbin are bad news, with Hyunjin being a delinquent and Changbin a high school dropout. To their fellow neighbors, Hyunjin and Changbin were the epitome of the type of people you would tell your friends to avoid at all cost, the type that parents would drag their children to the other side of the street to keep away from. 

Jisung knows better from what he sees here.

Whenever Hyunjin and Changbin come in, Hyunjin always looks worn out, and Changbin always looks angry, but after they get their food and sit at the small dining area by the windows of the gas station store, the mood around them completely changes to one of joy and contentment. Changbin’s brooding eyes always seem to shine around Hyunjin, whereas Hyunjin’s emotionless face lights up when he’s speaking to Changbin. 

Amongst the many rumors about the two that Jisung heard, the one he tried his best to never listen to was the one about Changbin and Hyunjin’s relationship. It was hard to avoid however, considering how the whispers always seemed louder than most of the gossip that passed around town. It was times like those where Jisung wondered how a town that boasted it’s friendly and open community could just as easily pass around words like  _ abuse _ and  _ assault _ and how the two  _ degenerates deserve each other.  _

Unlike most customers who would stay at max fifteen minutes, Hyunjin and Changbin never left before the thirty minute mark, slowly eating their meals in conversation, as if to prolong the time they spent together in this small highway gas station. Today, the two were there for almost an hour, continuing to linger at the table even after Changbin’s sandwich was finished and Hyunjin’s ramen bowl dry. 

Jisung wonders if this is their idea of romance, hanging out in a dingy convenience store eating pre packaged instant food. But as he watches the two, the brightness in their eyes and genuine smiles on their face clues Jisung in that they may not have much choice. That this small gas station may be one of the few - if not only - places where Hyunjin can smile at Changbin without hearing how he’s only flirting with the other for drugs, or how Changbin can hold Hyunjin’s hands without seeing their neighbors scornful glances when they see Hyunjin’s injuries and immediately look at Changbin’s hands for answers. 

Where the two can freely be in love without the judgemental eyes of their community hanging over their head. 

(Jisung also realizes that for as much as he tries to ignore the rumors about the two, it must be harder for Changbin and Hyunjin to not retaliate, to bite their tongue and use their actions to prove them wrong.)

Even as the sun sets and the autumn night comes, the two still sit there, as if it physically pained them to go. Jisung knows his manager dislikes when customers loiter without buying more, but he has no intention on making them leave. It’s hard to correlate the bad rumors surrounding the two with what he sees here. To Jisung, Changbin and Hyunjin are merely two teenage boys in love with each other, determined to find happiness and joy in this cold and dismal world. 

When the two finally pick themselves up to leave around 10:30 at night, Jisung sends what he hopes is a comforting smile their way, and Seungmin gives the two a small wave. The two don’t see either gesture however, eyes only on each other, as if taking in every last moment of their time together before they had to depart. When the door opens everyone shivers slightly from the light breeze that comes in, and Changbin and Hyunjin huddle closer together. It isn’t just from the cold though, but also because of how their small moment of bliss comes to an end for that night, and they have to return to the reality of their lives. 

And well, Jisung supposes that’s why watching Changbin’s beat up car head back to their beach town never fails to send a pain through his heart. 

  
  


  
  
  


🍂🍂🍂

  
  


Even amongst the regulars they do have, most don’t have the same consistency as the Yang’s do. Every Friday at 5:15 on the dot, the family of five - mother, father, and three sons - show up at the convenience store. 

Everything that Jisung knows about them is through Seungmin - because the family speaks almost entirely in Korean, and Jisung’s own knowledge is limited to the basics that keeps his grandparents happy whenever he is on video call with them. Seungmin’s Korean is much better, though he says he sometimes has trouble understanding the family at times with their thick Busan accent (Jisung can’t tell the difference). Regardless, Seungmin understands enough for Mrs. Yang to only look at Seungmin when she’s paying. 

The younger two are always playing around, running up and down the aisles and grabbing snacks to dump on the counter. Seungmin and Jisung only know the middle child’s name - “Jeongin” - because of how often their mother is calling for him to control his younger brother, the eldest too distracted on his phone for anything else. Regardless, the three seem to get along well, and the whole family always makes sure to stock up on snacks and meals before heading out. 

“They always go to the beach together, because it reminds them of Busan.” Seungmin comments one night as they see the family pull up to the gas pump, the three sons tumbling out and rushing for the convenience store door. “Like to cook ramen on the beach and watch the sun set.”

“Good thing they come too, since they’re probably the only reason our manager bothers to stock up on that ramen brand you like considering how much they buy weekly,” Seungmin rolls his eyes and pushes his broom at Jisung’s feet, smirking at the yelp Jisung gives as he leaves from behind the counter to grab some new stock to put out. Out of the corner of his eye he watches the youngest son running up and down the aisles, dragging a store basket behind him and throwing in what appears to be random items in. 

That particular day however, there seems to be a much different mood coming from the family. The eldest son isn’t on his phone the entire time, instead actively picking snacks and dropping it alongside his younger brothers. There isn’t as much scolding from Mrs. Yang, who instead watches the three with a warm yet sad smile, and Jeongin isn’t as smiley as he usually is, instead clinging to his older brother's side as they chat about which of the sandwiches they should get. Even Mr. Yang is inside today instead of on his usual cigarette break, as the five of them speak in rapid fire Korean. 

“Ah,” Seungmin says as the family leaves, loaded with even more snacks than usual. “We might not see them again for a while.”

Jisung blinks. 

“The oldest - he’s turning 19 in a few days. He’s going back to Korea for his mandatory military service next week. Looks like Mrs. Yang and the youngest are going back with him too.” 

Jisung thinks of Jeongin, a wave of pity comes over him. It was probably hard enough being an immigrant (something Seungmin had found out about the Yang’s around the third week they had been visiting) in a foreign country, but Jisung couldn’t imagine losing half his family in the midst of it all, who were probably the only support they each had in this experience. Jisung could tell how close knit the family was, and he found himself sad over how they would inevitably have to be separated like this. With the realization that tonight was their goodbye to each other, Jisung could only pray that they were able to enjoy their last night in a while as a family, cuddle together during a cool autumn night, on a empty beach shore with blankets strewn around, some hot ramen and good company with each other. 

  
  


🍂🍂🍂

But Jisung supposes with every goodbye also comes a hello. Chan comes for his weekly visit as usual, but this time brings the “friend” he works with - though Jisung suspects it's more than just that. Felix has a bright smile and happy aura, and watching Chan and Felix fight to pay was both awkward and amusing. The following week, Felix gives them a box of cookies he made with Chan’s grandma, Seungmin grabs Felix’s outstretched bill instead of Chan’s, and the two walk out with their bags of cheetos and bottles of iced tea, leaning into each other’s sides and smiling intimately to each other. 

Despite how open Chan had always been with them, Jisung supposes that there are some secrets that he’s not privy to, stories that will remain untold. So Jisung and Seungmin just exchange glances after Chan and Felix leave, and pop open the cookie box to try them out. 

(“I will admit,” Seungmin finally says after a while of contemplative silence between the two, “Felix’s cookies are so much better than Chan’s grandma’s were.” 

Jisung stifles a snicker. Secretly, he offers an apology to Chan’s grandma for the fact that her cookies were dumped in the trash only seconds after Jisung took his first bite.)

  
  


🍂🍂🍂

There’s more bruises on Hyunjin’s face this time. Jisung knows it’s rude to stare, but he can’t help but look in mild shock at how swollen his cheek looks, or how the gashes on Hyunjin’s arms seemed to be much deeper than usual. 

What really sends Jisung into a panic is the red knuckles that Changbin sports. With a pounding heart, Jisung worries that maybe the more disturbing rumors about their relationship weren’t so far off - except that thought is as quickly dispelled when he sees the one other thing that is different. Today, the two of them enter with smiles on their faces and hands firmly in each other despite the injuries. 

They’re dropping even more snacks onto the counter today, and Jisung even hears Changbin giggling slightly as the two flirtatiously saunter up and down the aisles, the low whispers and growing grins only adding to Jisung’s curiosity, wanting to know what has the two in such a good mood despite looking worse for wear.

However, even with how often the two hung out at the small store, Jisung couldn’t consider himself close with either one of them - never speaking with Hyunjin at school nor giving more than simple greetings and money exchanges to Changbin at the electronics shop. “Will this be all?” he politely says instead, starting to scan the items up for the two. 

Seungmin exits the back with the broom in hand, getting ready for their mid-shift cleaning. He nods at Changbin and Hyunjin distractedly, but doubles back when he sees the massive pile of food on the counter. 

“Oh, must be a special night huh?” he comments, smiling up at the two. Jisung mentally thanks Seungmin for his subtle ease into Jisung’s own burning question for Changbin and Hyunjin. Between the two, Seungmin had always been better at small talk anyways. “What are we celebrating?” 

The two look at Changbin, but surprisingly it’s Hyunjin who answers. 

“Yeah, today’s pretty special,” Both Jisung and Seungmin blink in surprise at the first time they hear his voice. “We’re moving to the city together. Finally getting out of that hellhole.”

Jisung freezes in place. 

Jisung wonders if there is protocol for this. He knows that Hyunjin is still underage, and Changbin had just turned 18 recently. In a town as small as theirs, everyone knows each other well, and the disappearance of two boys would definitely not go unnoticed - even if said runaways were considered bad apples in their fruit basket of a population. Jisung wonders if he’d be questioned about their plans, and if he’d be held accountable for not doing more to stop them. 

But the pieces start to fall together, and maybe the rumors weren’t that far off, except now it was beginning to make sense, all the times Jisung would see a tired and downcast Hyunjin staring off in the distance during class, as if longing for something more. How Jisung would sometimes see Hyunjin just waiting at the bus station long after school was over, or that one time he was rushing over to work and saw Changbin’s beat up car driving past him towards their school. 

How on occasion, while driving back from work, Seungmin’s car would pass by the local liquor store and the two could see Hyunjin’s older brother buying a dangerous amount of alcohol. Or the times when Jisung would see Changbin darting out of his house at 12am from across the street when Jisung finally had settled into his own bed, yet couldn’t fall asleep with the screaming coming from Changbin’s aunt and uncle. 

How, even in a town like theirs, where Jisung’s fellow townspeople boast of their close community and kind residents, there never seemed to be any room for either for two boys who were punished by their family for their existence, and scorned for their relationship by the community that supposedly accepted all.

“Well,” the four boys jump as Minho - who Jisung hadn’t even seen enter their store - suddenly appears. “That is indeed a cause for celebration, is it not?” 

With a slightly less annoying smirk and a gentle pat on Changbin’s shoulder, he puts his tuna sandwich and water bottle down, pulling his card out, and motioning to the whole counter. “I’ll pay for it all.”

Changbin chokes in shock. “Wait- sir- what are you- you don’t have too-”

Minho just waves his card in front of Jisung once again, and Jisung - who still secretly thought Minho was a serial killer and would rather not get on his bad side at all - took it and swiped, even as both Changbin and Hyunjin sputtered their subsequent thanks and confusion. 

He suddenly turns serious. “Listen,” Minho starts, “I know I’m a stranger, and honestly you have no reason to trust me, but…” Fumbling with his wallet, Jisung watches as Minho pulls a card out of it, handing it to Changbin. 

“... if you guys need any help at all - whether it be looking for work or a place to stay, please do not hesitate to contact me, okay?” With one last warm smile, he walks out the door with a wave, and the four watch as his (still suspiciously large) car drives off, before turning to the business card curiously. 

“Ah.” Seungmin finally says. “He’s the CEO of Dori Pet Foods.” He pauses. “My dog eats that stuff.” 

It feels anticlimactic to Jisung, but he supposes that that’s the beauty of this part of his world. During the autumn season, when the traffic is low and they get less customers per hour, both Jisung and Seungmin would pass the time making up the stories of their customers. It wasn’t like they knew any of them personally, with most being just mere passerbyers. The gas station was always just a passing afterthought in each of their own stories, and Jisung and Seungmin mere extras in the movie of their lives. 

Regardless, it was always fun to imagine the stories of these travelers, imagining what led them to the moment they stepped within the gas station doors and what awaits them after they leave. And well, for Minho - a regular yet still so unknown to the two workers, that meant thinking up the most wild scenarios for why Minho was always dressed so fine and heading to their town late at night, without realizing he owned one of the most popular pet food brands around, and had a second house on the coast that he stayed in from time to time.

But, whereas Minho’s story may have come to a close, Changbin and Hyunjin’s is just starting. Jisung and Seungmin watch as they load their car with the snacks and drive off. They're driving in the opposite direction than Jisung usually sees them go down, a fact that warms Jisung’s heart. Even if he may not know how their journey will end, Jisung is sure of one thing. It will be a happy one.

🍂🍂🍂

  
  
  
  


Despite the variety of people they run into at the gas station and the multitude of stories they have, Jisung’s favorite story is his own. 

Jisung, who was born and raised in this small beach town, where the population barely reached a thousand and everyone knew each other. Where, despite going to a school shared with three neighboring towns, his graduating class was still less than a hundred, and yet Jisung still hardly had friends in school, preferring his solitude when exploring the dunes or biking around the lighthouse. Where his whole life Jisung has only known of this close knit yet overbearing community who seemed to live in the summertime daze year round, that sometimes had a welcoming and cozy aura, but at other times made Jisung feel like he was intruding in a private world despite being a resident. 

Where each day from Tuesday to Friday, after eating a quick dinner and procrastinating on homework, at 4:30 pm Seungmin will pick him up, as they drive their way to work in the middle of the interstate, between the two opposing roads to and from their home to the city about an hour (and fifteen minutes on a good day) away. They’ll usually show up at 5pm on the dot, breathing quick apologies to the attendee right before them, before shrugging their uniforms on and starting their work, counting down the seconds until 11pm arrives and their shift ends. 

It’s the story of a high school senior who works the graveyard shift at a small gas station and service area hybrid, and the coworker he’s in love with. 

Sometimes, just as the sun is setting, right before the evening rush of workers returning from the city home, the station is empty enough that the two feel okay with leaving the store unmanned and sitting outside on the curb with day old chicken and almost expired sandwiches, munching away as they watch the leaves rustle and fall, shades of yellow, red, and orange falling down with each breeze. Every once in a while a car zooms down the highway, but for the most part, it’s ironically quiet, an odd feeling for an expressway gas station. 

It’s in those moments that Jisung will look at Seungmin from his side, feel his heartbeat just a little faster, his eyes mesmerized on the soft profile of Seungmin’s face. It’s those moments where he’ll thank all his lucky stars that he met Seungmin here. Here at the gas station, where they’re together four out of the seven days for six hours late at night, in their own little world of rolling their eyes at impatient customers while ringing up their purchases, or singing their hearts out to Day6 while Seungmin restocks the shelves and Jisung scrambles to finish his homework during momentary lulls of no customers, or even the rare moments where it’s just the two of them with a late night motorist at 10:30 at night, their hands tightly holding the others as they watch with thumping hearts and nervous eyes, praying for the next shift to get there as fast as they can. 

Outside of the store, they hardly interact, but just from the time they spent together at the store, Jisung could easily call Seungmin one of his closest friends. Maybe there was a certain camaraderie you shared with someone when the two of you are stuck at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by the sound of rustling trees and the occasional car passing by. 

In the summer, their prime location thirty minutes away from a beach town with luxurious resorts and beautiful camping spots means that Jisung is kept on his feet and busy with the rushes of tourists that come speeding by. But during the autumn, it becomes more apparent exactly how remote the gas station is. When Jisung looks out the window and sees the miles of highways spanning in both directions, see the singular car whizzing by from time to time, and watch as the trees slightly sway in the breeze, it’s leaves lazily falling to the ground, he sometimes feels isolated from everything. There’s less customers during this season, and most consider the gas station and it’s two workers a mere afterthought in their minds, more occupied with their final destination. 

But to Jisung, Seungmin’s not a background character. Seungmin isn't just the gas station worker who rolls his eyes at his coworker’s suspicions over the nicely dressed gentleman who stops by every once in a while. He isn’t just the American-born Korean who provides a small amount of comfort to an immigrant family, or the happy part timer that Chan is comfortable enough to share his grandma’s cookies with but not open to telling about who Felix exactly is to him. He isn’t just a small beach town resident who hears the rumors about Changbin and Hyunjin, but never lets it affect his perception of the two. 

To Jisung, Seungmin is a constant in his life. He’s the coworker who fights Jisung for control over their speaker. He’s the friend who brings his math book sometimes to let Jisung copy his work. He’s sometimes Jisung’s “sworn enemy”, when it comes to who will rake the leaves outside or clean the bathroom floor. 

And well, he’s also Jisung’s crush since the first week they worked together, when Seungmin cursed off a rude customer calling Jisung every slur out there, which has only grown since then.

To Jisung, Seungmin is the love interest in his story, and like with all the stories he comes across during his hours of daydreaming at the gas station, Jisung hopes for a happy ending. 

🍂🍂🍂

They’re sitting outside the store on one of their self-designated “breaks”, expiring tuna sandwiches in hand (Minho hadn’t appeared in a few days) as they enjoy the autumn breeze. Jisung watches as the leaves rustle in the wind, a few falling down and hitting the floor (reminding himself that they’ll need to rake them in before it gets too dark, and wondering if he can somehow trick Seungmin into doing it). 

The sun is beginning to set, casting hues of red and purple across the sky. Despite this, there aren't that many cars on the road, not many people wanting to go towards their beach town minus the few residents that worked even more towards the city than Seungmin and Jisung did. 

Sometimes the quiet gets to Jisung, and the infinitely expanding highway makes him feel small. But sitting there next to Seungmin on the curb outside their store, as the leaves fall from the trees and the smell of autumn permeates the air, he’s never felt more content. 

He lets the breeze hit his face once more.

“Hey, Seungmin?”

“Hmm?”

Jisung never was one to mince his words. 

“I like you.”

Seungmin freezes. Jisung suddenly realizes that maybe he should have waited until the end of his shift instead, because they still have four hours together in this secluded rest stop in the middle of two opposing highways, on maybe he should have waited until Friday instead, since he wouldn’t have to see Seungmin until the next Tuesday, considering he works Saturdays with someone else. 

But just as Jisung starts to internally panic over how he would get home, considering Seungmin was his ride to work, Seungmin lets out a soft smile and takes Jisung’s hand. This time, Jisung’s mind goes into overdrive, but not in anxious shock but rather a burst of blissful feeling, the warmth radiating from Seungmin’s touch all throughout Jisung’s body. 

“You’re turning really red there,” Seungmin finally chuckles, but Jisung can see the color in Seungmin’s cheek turning darker as well, matching the falling leaves around them. He merely grins back, and - in a moment of boldness - squeezes Seungmin’s hand back. 

There’s no more words exchanged between the two of them, as they return back to their sandwiches. But the silence isn’t overbearing like before. This time, he welcomes it, is glad for the calm that is between them, just two boys with their beating hearts and wide smiles, enjoying the peacefulness between the two. 

Jisung thinks back to the stories that had unfolded around them. Some stories led to happy endings. Some of them led to sad ones. Some of them still remain a mystery of where they will end, and if Jisung will even get to see it. 

But at the end of the day, the only story that matters to Jisung is the one about two boys born and raised in a small beach town. The two co workers who work the night shift at a gas station, arriving at 5 on the dot and leaving exactly at 11pm. The two friends who pass their time making up stories about the customers they greet, and watch as they leave without ever finding out the ending.

It’s the story of Jisung, who is in love with his friend, and Seungmin, who is in love with him back. 

**Author's Note:**

> There were three separate places I’ve interacted with in my life that inspired this fic. 
> 
> One; a gas station that I always passed on my way home from college at night, that was awkwardly placed in the center of a two-way highway. 
> 
> Two; a small beach retreat center I went to with my church when I was younger, that was located in a town with less than 500 permanent residents and had this beautiful lighthouse. 
> 
> Three; the convenience stores in Taiwan, specifically the one next to a school I taught at in a rural area, where it was the only place that looked commercialized amongst all these mom and pop stores. 
> 
> \--
> 
> Both the autumn and friends to lover spots were what originally inspired this fic, which is funny considering neither is as prominently featured until the last scene. This is probably one of my favorite pieces that I’ve written so far, so I hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!
> 
> \--
> 
> [for those who may have skipped the changbin/hyunjin parts, they are two (implied) lovers who are outcasts in the beach town they live in, who spend their time at the gas station to get away from all the rumors surrounding them. at the end, they end up running away from home with the gas station being their last stop before heading to the city for good.
> 
> making an additional note: i say implied only because this is through jisung's eyes and like all the small stories he sees during his time at the gas station, there's no way he'll truly know.]


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